Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Since the All-Star weekend, the management of the Bucks had been working intensely every day, aiming to finalize a trade before the deadline arrived.

Larry Harris was reluctant to trade Redd.

Because he knew it was nearly impossible for the Bucks to get equal value on the trade market.

Redd possessed All-Star capabilities, yet his contract was both long and inexpensive.
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The 4-year, 12 million US Dollar extension he signed last year had only gone through one and a half seasons.

Where else could you find such an affordable All-Star? But when the heavens decree rain, and a mother wishes her child to marry, there's an immovable player at Redd's position; if he wouldn't bow down and play the minor role, he had no choice but to leave. If he was forced to stay and muddle through, with his heart not in Milwaukee, could he still play well?

For the sake of the championship? They had already won it last season, and for players who don't need to consider their historical status, the championship is indeed a prestigious honor that adds luster to one's career. It's important, but not indispensable. Once attained, the rest of one's career should be for oneself.

Right now, Redd only wanted to think about himself.

Therefore, the Bucks had to trade him.

Since a trade was necessary, the primary goal was to continue strengthening the frontcourt.

Little Harris always felt their inside game might eventually get shattered, relying too much on shooting was too flimsy.

So, his first target was Rasheed Wallace of the Atlanta Hawks.

Currently, Wallace's value was at a historical low, making it a good time to acquire him, but the problem lay in his annual salary of 17 million US Dollars.

To get him, the Bucks either had to give up one of Ray Allen or Sprewell or dismantle a large part of the roster. But if they were to trade away one of the top salaries, then why trade Redd at all? Yet, to break up a lineup that had already developed considerable chemistry for the sake of a Rasheed Wallace didn't seem worth it either.

The plan to trade for Rasheed Wallace was shelved.

That played right into the hands of the Detroit Pistons, who were desperate for Wallace, ready to break their own lineup to bring in a top power forward to assist Big Ben.

On a mission to secure Wallace, the Pistons called up every team and eventually worked out a three-way trade, sending out five players and two first-round picks to finally get him.

The Bucks management was regretting missing out on Rasheed Wallace, but then, a call from San Antonio made them take everything seriously again.

This year's trade deadline was a rare occasion, with contenders from both the Eastern and Western conferences opting to make trades for stability or a higher probability of winning the championship.

The Pistons brought Rasheed Wallace to Big Ben to complete the final link in their Iron Bucket Formation.

The Spurs? Theoretically, they should be the top favorites to win the championship this season.

Because despite the F4's glamorous exterior, the internal malaise made it hard to believe they could remain steady until capturing the ultimate title.

Karl Malone's injury, Gary Payton's inability to mesh into the Triangle Offense and incessant complaints, and the potential for internal conflict ignited by the OK duo made the team a ticking time bomb.

Nobody expected that after bringing in the league's best pure point guard, the Spurs would be considerably worse off.

Tony Parker entered a rebellious phase, and the years Jason Kidd spent in New Jersey made people forget that he actually was quite difficult for coaches to deal with.

It was only beside Byron Scott, a coach who didn't ponder much, that he appeared obedient and mature.

In reality, Kidd's excessive self-awareness posed a big challenge for any coach.

Midway through the season, the Spurs were already regretting the signing.

Yet, like all people who misstepped the first time, they would continue to misstep a second and third time, driven by the momentum of their mistake, until they lost everything.

The Spurs didn't want to trade Kidd; they still wanted to believe that Popovich could coexist with him. Thus, Tony Parker, the cause of the rift within the team, had to be traded.

Placing Michael Redd on the trading block gave them hope.

Kidd's arrival made an already sensible Spurs play even more sensibly, but they often found themselves wondering, when the time came, who would make the unreasonable play?

If Manu Ginobili was on the court, he could take over, but what if Ginobili wasn't there?

A pure scorer like Redd, who could create space on the outside and handle the ball on his own, was exactly what the Spurs needed.

This trade was seriously considered.

The Bucks could obtain Parker, a point guard with great potential, while the Spurs would get Redd; it was a win-win situation.

Neither side had any lingering tension because of their six-game series in the previous season's NBA Finals.

When the trade negotiations reached the final stages and Little Harris began calling Yu Fei for their opinions, Yu Fei thought the trade was possible, but suggested that they should hear the coaching staff's opinions. However, he encountered strong opposition from George Karl.

"Absolutely not! We should not make this trade," Karl said. "For us, this trade is a 90+5, but for the Spurs, it's a 90+20."

Little Harris wanted to know more.

"Let me explain a few things. If the Frenchman can't share ball-handling duties with Jason Kidd in San Antonio, I can't imagine that he'd be willing to be a non-ball-handling guard next to Frye. Even if he's willing to take that role, there's another issue: Would he be willing to come off the bench? He wasn't willing in San Antonio, so why would he in Milwaukee? Our starting point guard is Frye, and there's no spot for him. Most importantly, as a ball-handling playmaker, Frye naturally repels the type of point guard with a strong personality. This trade doesn't benefit us, but it would be perfect for the Spurs. We can't agree to it!"

Little Harris wasn't ignorant about basketball, and with Karl's explanation, he himself backed off from the deal.

For basketball reasons, the trade was aborted before it could materialize.

In the end, the Spurs were unable to get a satisfactory offer for Parker before the trade deadline.

The Bucks began to listen to a flurry of offers.

Little Harris even talked with the Golden State Warriors about trading Redd for Erick Dampier.

Just as Little Harris was disoriented and seeking direction, the genius of New York's trades gave him a call.

Last December, New York had firmly decided to dismiss the previous president, Scott Layden, because under his reign, the Knicks had neither a present nor a future.

Then Isiah Thomas arrived with the aura of a "professional basketball winner" and as the Knicks' savior, immediately showing traits of a 2K gamer, manipulating and making trades from every angle and by all possible means.

He first bought out the inept rookie center Slavko Vranes, then activated the French chubby Mike Sweetney, and soon started his trading show.

He made an inconsequential trade with the Rockets before performing major surgery on the Knicks in a trade with the Suns—he offloaded five players at once and traded away the 2004 and 2010 first-round picks (which eventually went to the Jazz who selected Hayward) to get New York's own Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway.

After this trade, the Knicks went 11-8.

Well, in a sense, the trade worked out.

Convinced of his wizardry in trades, Thomas wanted to make another big move before the trade deadline.

At that time, the Bucks put Michael Redd up for trade.

Once Thomas saw Redd's data and contract, his eyes lit up, and he was determined to bring him to New York.

The Bucks' trade talks hit a stalemate, and Thomas promptly launched an aggressive offensive.

Originally, when Thomas offered Dikembe Mutombo for Redd, Little Harris didn't want anything to do with it.

Mutombo was not bad, even though not at his peak, he was indeed the type of foundational defensive big man the Bucks needed. But to trade Redd for the current Mutombo? He was a hundred times unwilling.

However, Little Harris didn't expect Thomas to have the touch of an old-school GM.

Seeing that he couldn't get Redd with Mutombo, and the Bucks couldn't afford the likes of Hardaway, he slapped his forehead and suddenly thought: I still have draft picks!

Following that, Thomas added a 2005 first-round pick swap and a 2007 first-round pick to the offer for Redd.

Little Harris was stunned; he'd often seen teams that were ready to give up their future for present gains, but it was rare to see anyone willing to give up their future for a player of Redd's caliber...

Little Harris remembered his father telling him about an NBA owner who, in an attempt to build a team that couldn't even make the playoffs, traded away his first-round picks for five consecutive years, prompting the NBA to establish a rule naming after that person that prohibited trading away first-round picks for two consecutive years.

Isiah Thomas... truly had the touch of an old-school GM.

With two draft picks on the table, negotiations started to progress.

When it came time to consult others over the phone, Little Harris was nervous; he feared another "basketball reason" would kill the trade, and he would have to keep Redd.

Yu Fei expressed no objections once again.

Karl thought Mutombo and Anderson were good additions and, moreover, with two first-round picks—and given Thomas's frenetic trading frequency—there was a high probability those picks would turn into lottery selections.

With that, the last hurdle was cleared.

On February 18, both sides finalized the deal, with the Bucks sending Michael Redd and Damon Jones to receive Dikembe Mutombo, Shandon Anderson, a 2005 first-round pick swap, and a 2007 first-round pick.